Felty v. State’s Empirical Analysis
1991
Citation profile
29 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 29 later decisions — most recently May 2025 · most notably Carmichael v. State (2000), Scroggins v. State (1993)
29 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Beed v. State · Carton v. Missouri Pacific Railroad · Goodwin v. Harrison · Heffernan v. State · Morris v. State
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 29 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[The rule] provides that a lay witness may give an opinion with two (2) limitations. Limitation (1) is the requirement of firsthand knowledge or observation. Limitation (2) is phrased in terms of requiring testimony to be helpful in resolving issues. Witnesses often find difficulty in expressing themselves in language which is not an opinion or conclusion. For example, if a witness is asked, "What kind of day was it?" he might respond, "Beautiful." It would be an admissible opinion. He would not have to state it was a clear skied, sunny, 72 degree spring day with a slight breeze. The witness can respond in everyday language which includes his conclusion about the type of day. However, if attempts are made to introduce meaningless assertions which amount to little more than choosing up sides, exclusion for lack of helpfulness is called for by the Rule. See Advisory Committee's Notes to Federal Rule 701. In sum, opinion testimony by lay witnesses is allowed in observation of everyday occurrences, or matters within the common experience of most persons. Statements by eyewitnesses that the victim was "scared" and "trying to get away" easily fit within the limitations imposed on lay witness opinion.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Marks v. State“The charge against [the appellant] is a Class Y Felony that carries from 10 to 40 years or life. He’s charged with two counts of that. Is there anyone here, that if they found that he committed these acts, that could not sentence him to a long term in the penitentiary? If you can’t do that, even though the law requires it based on the facts, is there anyone here that can’t —”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Dillard v. State“If the witness is not testifying as an expert, his testimony in the form of opinions or inferences is limited to those opinions or inferences which are (1) Rationally based on the perception of the witness; and (2) Helpful to a clear understanding of his testimony or the determination of a fact in issue.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Moore v. State
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.